Ben Browder and Claudia Black, a.k.a. John and Aeryn Crichton of Farscape, will both be joining Stargate SG-1 as regulars in the next few months. Nope, I’m still not watching that Sci-Fi channel dren.
Tag: SyFy
Frellin’ A.
It’s finally here…at 9pm tonight and tomorrow, Sci-Fi will air Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, the long-awaited and warmly reviewed conclusion to what TV Guide long ago correctly deemed “the best science-fiction series on TV.” Apparently, it’s still fun even if you don’t know the continuity, so come on aboard…there’s lots of room on this here interstellar bandwagon.
If you never saw Blake’s 7, which is ‘Scape‘s immediate ancestor, then here’s the basic gist: Smart-ass, gung-ho astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) was inadvertently sent through a wormhole to the far corner of space several years ago, whereupon he fell in with a bunch of rag-tag aliens aboard the living prison ship Moya. For the past four years or so, Crichton has been battling the nefarious Peacekeepers (Think Star Trek‘s Federation gone bad) while falling in love with one of their number, Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), refining his knowledge of wormhole tech in order to get back home, and annoying all manner of extraterrestrial species with his inveterate pop culture referencing. (He’s already made it back to Earth a few times now…don’t worry, this ain’t Quantum Leap, and the show never takes quite the tack you expect.) In recent seasons, however, Crichton and his band of cranky shipmates have discovered that there’s a much bigger danger lurking in the far regions of space than the Peacekeepers…the reptilian, take-no-guff Scarrans. There’s obviously been a lot of twists and turns along the way, which I highly suggest you check out on DVD, but basically the Moya crew has had to align with some of their most dangerous past enemies (namely, the Scarran half-breed Scorpius) in order to outwit, outfox, and outlast the new Big Bads. Where it goes from here is anyone’s guess…but if you’re a fan of either quality sci-fi or smart, funny, sexy television in general (I’m looking at you, B5’ers, Buffyites, and Whedoniacs), you owe it to yourself to check Farscape out. Update: Brief, spoiler-filled thoughts in the comments.
The Travels of Crichton.
For frell’s sake, don’t forget to set the Tivo, ’cause – as Quiddity notes, Sci-Fi will be showing all 88 episodes of Farscape (“the best science-fiction series on TV” – TV Guide) beginning this Friday at 8am. Seriously, if you’re looking to catch some of the funniest, sexiest, best-written sci-fi out there in recent years, check Farscape out while you have the chance. (And remember to boycott Sci-Fi once again as soon as they air The Peacekeeper Wars.)
Pilot Needs a Hug.
No need to break the Sci-Fi boycott until the main event, ’cause the trailer for Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars is now online. It doesn’t look like they’ll be attracting any new fans with this miniseries, what with all the various unresolved subplots alluded to in the trailer alone (I’d forgotten about Wormhole Business-Suit Guy, for example), but at least we ‘Scapers will finally get some closure.
Return of the Dominar.
Lots of promo shots from the Farscape mini-series have made it online of late, and so far the Peacekeeper War looks like quality vintage ‘Scape, right down to Einstein Harvey. I may have to break the Sci-Fi boycott for this.
The Return of Harvey.
It’s official…A year after reneging on their two-year deal, the cretins at Sci-Fi have agreed to resurrect Farscape for the Peacekeeper War, a four-hour miniseries set for this fall. It’ll be nice to see Crichton & co. return for closure, and I’ll definitely have to break the Sci-Fi boycott for this event. Still, we were supposed to get 22 episodes, not 4 hours. Frellers…
Crichton Signs Off.
I didn’t get a chance to say this while I was in Vegas, so I’ll do it now…So long, Farscape. Your time came much too quickly.
We’re So Frelling Screwed.
With only three episodes left before its untimely cancellation, Harvey returned to Farscape Friday night in “We’re So Screwed: Part I: Fetal Attraction.” Sigh…a la Twin Peaks, the “best science-fiction show on TV” (TV Guide) is now clearly building up to a huge cliffhanger which will never get resolved. So, just because I haven’t said it here recently, I still really hope Sci-Fi suffers heavy karmic retribution for their decision to renege on their 2-year deal with Farscape, beginning with lousy ratings for Children of Dune (which I probably would have watched had it not been for Farscape‘s cancellation – and yes, if you tuned in to Taken, you’re part of the problem) and ending with the demise of the network. A show that replaces ‘Scape with schlock like John Edward, the Dream Team, and Tremors: The Series has no business being patronized by the fanboy/fangirl nation.
Spaced.
On the eve of the last 11 episodes of Farscape (beginning this Friday at 8pm – Tivo’ers take note), Sci-Fi finally explains why they pulled the plug on the “best science-fiction show on TV.” Basically, it cost too much and was too hard for most people to keep up with. Which also explains why low-fi garbage like Stargate SG-1 lasts seven seasons.
We are Farscape.
Although the initial flurry of activity may have dimmed considerably, the quest to save Farscape continues across the fanboy/fangirl nation. Next week, this fan produced ad will start appearing in 24 major media markets…it looks a bit rough but hopefully will spark some media coverage. Meanwhile, here in NYC I’ve taken to postering all the bus ads for Sci-Fi’s upcoming Taken around campus with BOYCOTT SCI-FI signs. Somebody keeps ripping them down, but hey…it adds structure to my walks with Berkeley.